Haunted Shop Terminals: Supernatural Phenomenon or Hoax?
October 05, 29481 - Ferrell [Atlantean]
IRRK Freelance - The commerce terminals of the Upper Stret East Bank have always been a bazaar for the bizarre, with entrepreneurs selling diverse products in a flea market setting. Recently, several merchants found their terminals mysteriously vandalized, their wares replaced with cult-related items. This has led to a panic, culminating in a temporary shutdown of the market buildings. While the investigation is ongoing, the perpetrators have not been found. Rumours persist of a "Notum Ghost" plying its invisible hand upon the terminals and haunting the market buildings.
The terminals appear to have been altered in a relatively short span of time with no records of any person acting on the terminals. Apparently, no footage of the perpetrators was found on the security camera archive. Various items, including several robes and rings, were identified as the accoutrement of the Cult of the Three Winds. These items appear to be identity-locked to prevent trading, which prevented the merchants from removing these items from their terminals. Normally, the lock would also prevent these cult items from being transferred to the market terminal in the first place.
Officials believe that this activity may be a hoax perpetrated by the Cult with the motive of advancing the Cult's shadowy agenda. "Unlike in other cases of commerce terminal vandalism, no credits were stolen," stated Chief Inspector Nathan Drummard. "In prior cases, the credit theft would directly point to hackers, probably looking to make a quick buck. In this case, however, the terminals were just simply vandalized."
When viewing the archive footage at the IRRK home office, however, there were a few anomalies showing a "bright blue mist", possibly a nanite cloud, hovering around the affected terminals just moments before the evidence was discovered by the first merchant on the scene. This "bright blue mist" has also been linked to the rumours of the "Notum Ghost", a supernatural entity that recently entered the folklore of Omni-Tek water cooler chat.
In the meantime, Omni-Tek officials have quarantined the affected terminals, and market activity has slowed to a trickle while the investigation continues. "It's really scary," says Selmah Lee, a local meta-physicist. "No one wants to shop at a haunted terminal. It's like something out of a horror holo-vid."
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Originally Posted by Jenshai
